Some of the most trending words in the last few months have been ‘COVID-19’ and ‘stay at home.’ The current pandemic has made serious changes to our lifestyle, influencing our physical and psychological well-being indirectly.
We switched from working from the office to our home desks, from dining at restaurants to only eating at home, from hitting the gym every day to doing everyday household chores – our lives are rewired and our movements are restricted. While there are those who have found a way to exercise regularly and adhere to a balanced eating schedule, for most of us it was only sitting and eating all delicious homemade treats.
As we have started going out cautiously now, most of us find that the stamina to do things are missing. We quickly get tired and feel the need to push ourselves mentally and physically to do what we used to do effortlessly. But don’t worry! We just need to take gradual steps to get back to where we want to be and do so in a systematic manner. It’s time to rewire ourselves!
1. Eat at the right time
Our internal system, which is closely related to the solar clock, makes a world of difference. Set and stick to your meal timings, maintaining a 30-minute flexibility up or down. Eating at regular hours ensures that our energy levels stay stable and do not swing from highs to lows. This will help the rhythm of the body calm down and will balance the hormones to keep you energized.
2. Consume nutrient-rich diet
One of the best things that happened during the lockdown was that we ate fresh home-cooked food with mostly fresh ingredients. The best for your health is any food that is closest to its natural form which means they are least processed and seasonal. Only 1-2 meals a week should be cheat meals. While processed and refined foods add empty calories, leaving you without energy and feeling poor, nutrient-rich food adds health. Fermented foods provide good bacteria that keep our gut healthy and nutrient absorption efficient.
3. Drink, drink and drink plenty of water
One cannot stress enough the importance of hydration for the body. Even mild dehydration can have impacts, so enough fluids must be taken, and the best solution is a plain glass of water. But if it’s monotonous to only have water, you can have fresh lemon water, coconut water, fresh iced and fresh fruit juices with a minimum amount of sugar. Keep caffeine to a minimum, though!
4. Include Nuts and Seeds in your diet
Seeds and nuts are a huge YES! You can soak them overnight and munch on them later, or you can add them to your fresh drinks. All we need is one ounce a day of nuts and seeds, which is 15-20 almonds, one walnut and a teaspoon of seeds. Nuts add healthy fats, fiber, protein and most importantly, antioxidants that are known to clean our system from free radicals. They are good for improving immunity too.
5. Get Back To Exercising
Those who have not done any workout during the lockdown period, need to restart. You need to start all over again, never mind where you were when the lockdown happened. Don’t immediately get back to the high level of exercise. Get there slowly while those who have maintained a mid-level exercise can move on, to the next level, but only gradually.
It has been a testing time and we have handled it well but COVID-19 is not over yet. So, don’t forget to maintain social distancing, frequent handwashing and sanitizing. We will reclaim our lives but the good habits that we were forced to relearn like having home-cooked food, rediscovering traditional foods, hand and body hygiene, spending quality time with family and sitting still for a while, shouldn’t be forgotten.
Stay patient, give it time and you will definitely be able to regain your strength.
